The Matrix Beginings:Reclamation
by Chimera123
Summary: Chapter seven finally up. Prequel to the first Matrix. Reveals how Neo was discovered to be the one, and how Smith became corrupted. CONSTUCTIVE criticism acceptted. sorry been busy with school, havent had much time of fic.
1. Prolouge

The code was ever-changing, consisting of Greek, Japanese, and the occasional number. Everything was made out of the code, even the complicated stream of data that was the ring of a phone. The data reached a phone, and it began to ring. A man hovered over the phone, patiently waiting. On the third ring he reached for the phone, lifted it to his ear, and answered.

"I'm in," he spoke softly into the receiver. He hung up, and walked out of the basement, climbing the stairs. He paused as he reached for the knob, as if some perilous danger lay ahead. He opened it.

Bright sunlight momentarily blinded him. People quickly shuffled by him in a practiced manner, just few in an endless stream. It was rush hour. He stepped into the flow, blending in unseen. Slipping his hand into his jacket, he revealed black sunglasses. He put them on; just another person in the world, but he did not go unnoticed.

He was first noticed by the Mainframe Control. To It, he was an unusual code, a weed in a well manicured garden. It decided to remove this weed. Within milliseconds it sent a pair of its enforcer programs to intercept the awkward code. The Mainframe stored the incident into its endless memory for further examination.

The man noticed the crowd of people part down the middle, flowing around two unmoving men. They wore crisp, spotless suits, with matching sunglasses. They both wore ear pieces in their right ears. Their faces had an unnatural symmetry that only a machine could produce. The first Suit frowned at the approaching man. He spoke to his colleague.

"It is the unidentified coding."

"Should we proceed?" said the second Suit.

"Yes, the Mainframe insists that we delete it."

The man stopped in front of them, surprised that they were watching him. The suits simultaneously reached into their coats, swiftly unholstering their identical Desert Eagles. The man fled as they aimed, plowing through a pair of cursing stock brokers. The suits pulled the triggers, shattering the air. The man dodged through the crowd, half jumping and climbing over stunned people. Stray bullets flew past him, hitting walls and people alike. A little girl screamed as her parents fell, still holding their limp hands. The suits followed the man, flinging pedestrians aside like annoying flies.

The man spoke into a cell-phone as he ran, communicating with someone from another world. He threw the phone aside and ran into an alley, his pursuers not far behind. The suits stopped at the end of the alley, no sign of their prey. They moved their hands to their ear pieces, listening to instructions from an unseen master. Then the first suit leaped over the alley while his partner punched through the alley wall.

The First suit landed on the roof in a crouch, shattering the cement. He quickly stood up and ran toward the roof stairwell. He punched the door, knocking it of its hinges. He glanced down the dimly lit hall, seeing the last door close. In a blur he caught the door, only to glimpse the man disappear into a phone, his consciousness leaving the reality of the Matrix. The receiver hovered in the air as the mainframe rushed to reboot the code, allowing the laws of physics to return. The receiver fell.

The Suit picked up the swinging phone and replaced it. He stood staring at the phone not responding as his counterpart joined him. The second Suit holstered his weapon, and spoke,

"The anomaly has escaped?"

Agent Smith frowned at the absurdity of the question.

"What was its purpose here?" said Smith

"Its purpose has not been determined."

Smith nodded. "Begin a search"

Agent Brown acknowledged the request silently. He turned around, and walked out of the room. Smith turned to follow, but stopped when he noticed something askew. He sniffed the air, and gagged. He removed his sunglasses, and rubbed his forehead.

_What is that smell? _Smith crinkled his nose in disgust. He walked out of the room closing the door as he went.


	2. Chapter One: Hunt

It flew through the air, twisting through miles of enormous tunnels. The creature flew straight up the tunnel, and through a large gash in the roof that led to the outside. It slowed as it came to the surface, hovering above the ruins of lost civilization. Enormous towers reached for a darkened sky, forgotten for centuries. The creature resembled a squid, tentacles flowing behind it as if it was in water. However, it was not a squid or any other animal at all. It was a machine, and it was hunting.

Fifteen mechanical eyes searched for its prey, scanning in thermal, ultraviolet, and other spectrums. It passed over a large pile of rubble, quickly scanning it. The thermal lenses detected heat from the pile. Following its programmed protocol, the machine closed in to investigate, tentacles swirling behind.

It landed on its tentacles, using them like a spider would its legs, quietly creeping toward its target. The machine crawled over the pile, ready to pounce on its victim. It cleared the pile and stopped, confused by what its eyes were showing. The heat was coming from a smoldering heap of metal. It took all but a moment for the machine to realize what was happening, but it was already too late. A blue beam of lighting struck the machine in the side, leaving a sparking gash. The machine reeled to its side, searching for its assailant. Another beam struck the synthetic creature from behind, tearing off its lashing limbs. The dying machine collapsed, sending a river of sparks dancing on the ground. The numerous eyes blinked a few last times, and then one by one, went dark.

Three shadows emerged from the dark, pointing their weapons at the lifeless heap. They closed in, surrounding the machine. One of them crept up to the Sentinel, and kicked one of the tentacles. The machine did not respond. They all let out a breath of relief. However one of the men fired his weapon into the body, showering his friends with stinging bits of metal.

"Had to make sure," said Zebadiah, giving his crew members a toothy smile. "These wriggling bastards are getting' too damn smart for me."

"_You're_ getting too stupidfor me," replied Nicodemus.

The big man shrugged, and turned to the silent figure behind him. The hunched teenager straightened when his superior faced him.

"Aiden, tell the cap!n that the squidy situation has been taken care of…. and tell him that Zeb and I will be up, in a minute"


	3. Chapter Two: Nemesis

Nicodemus watched Aiden go, making sure he would not double back. He turned back to Zebadiah, who was tinkering with the remains of the Sentinel.

"Why'd you want me to stay behind?" asked Zeb as he heaved a leaking fuel cell out of the smoldering chassis. "I do somethin' wrong?"

"I want to know why the Captain went into the Matrix last night, and why I wasn't told about what happened in there, "demanded Nicodemus.

"Listen kid, the Captain will do as he pleases; you just stay outta his way. Abner has his reasons; don't get all pissy because you're not privy to why. If you don't like the way he runs the _Nemesis_, transfer out."

Nicodemus shook his head, "Look, I don't have anything against the Captain; I just want to know what's going on. I know I'm still a newbee on this ship, but on the _Judicator_, crew members didn't keep secrets."

Zebadiah stood up, picking up the parts he managed to salvage from the dead Sentinel. "It's not just you." He gave Nicodemus one last look and eased past him, muttering under his breath.

"When you're ready, the Captain will tell you _everything_."


	4. Chapter Three: Orders

Abner watched as Nicodemus and Zebadiah clambered up the boarding ramp of the Nemesis. Both dropped their plasma rifles on the deck, and headed different ways. He approached Zebadiah, noticing Nicodemus giving him an annoyed look.

"I'm assuming all went well?" He asked

Zebadiah nodded, "Yeah, except the newbee is getting a little agitated."

"Nico thinks he's being left out? I thought he would understand."

Zebadiah ran a hand through his blonde dreadlocks, nodding, "I don't think he's ready to know, it might be too much for him to take. But, I think he _is_ ready to meet the Oracle. Abner nodded, and turned to the ship intercom. He opened a channel to the cockpit.

"Vara, get the ship prepped, that Sentinel might have signaled for reinforcements. I want us back in the tunnels in ten minutes."

"_Yes Sir,_" answered the Nemesis' Operator.

Abner turned back to Zebadiah, "Find us a broadcasting point, Nicodemus is going to the_ Oracle_." He put his hand on Zebadiah's shoulder, "If he knew what we were doing, he would understand. Please, don't give him such a hard time."

He left the man to do his job, and headed to the core. He passed Aiden, busy loading ammunition into the rear turret. At the sight of his Captain he straightened and offered a salute. Abner smiled, and returned the gesture. Abner was proud of his crew, and his ship. The _Nemesis_ was his pride and joy. And what he knew only deepened that pride, what he knew would turn the tide of the war. _They had found the One._


	5. Chapter Four: Oracle

"You ready?" Vara asked as she hacked into the Matrix, her fingers racing over the many keyboards of her console.

"Yeah, I'm ready," replied Nicodemus, fighting the urge to nod, in fear of damaging the seven-inch plug that protruded into the back of his head. Vara finished typing and turned back to him.

"Just a little word of advice, don't fuck around with Abner. There's some crazy shit going on and you better not screw it up."

Before Nicodemus could protest, the world around him sped away, leaving a pure white universe. He examined his arms, and ran a hand through his hair. The plugs and nodes had disappeared. His shabby, ragged clothes were now replaced with a crisp new suit; he smiled.

_I'll never get used to this shit._

He glanced around his surroundings; taking account of the utter emptiness of the antiseptic world. Nicodemus stood in the middle of an infinitely vast world. He was in the Construct.

He felt his pocket, half knowing that a cell phone would be inside. He flipped it open and spoke.

"Well, aren't you gonna ask me if I need anything?"

"Screw you," answered Vara, as she stared at his unmoving body a few feet from her. "The only thing you need is a broken jaw."

In the blink of an eye Nicodemus was suddenly inside a decaying green room. A phone blared annoyingly on a small round table. But, before he could reach it another hand picked it up. Nicodemus jumped as Abner appeared before him.

"We're in; we'll be back in less than an hour." He replaced the receiver, and turned back to Nico, his eyes hidden by his opaque sunglasses. "I have been in your position as well. I know the feelings that you are feeling, the questions that are running through your head." Nico opened his mouth to protest-

Abner cut him of- "Please, let me finish." Abner paused, and turned away from Nico. "What you will find out in the next hour will affect your life forever. What you will find out will affect our people forever. Still, I am not sure if _you_ are ready to know how crucial it really is. However, it is not my choice; the Oracle will determine what, or what not to tell you; I am merely a messenger."

With that Abner turned away from Nicodemus and headed for the door, beckoning with his hand to follow. Nicodemus followed him up the stairs trying to piece together what he had been told. "You haven't told me where we're going."

Abner stopped at the door, hand resting on the knob. "We are going to see the Oracle." He opened the door, and sunlight spewed through the opening. Nicodemus squinted through the glare. "Who's the Oracle?" he yelled.

Abner smiled, "You'll see soon enough."

She sat with her legs crossed, her hands over her lap. Her bronze skin sagged shined in the dim light. She smiled as she looked Nicodemus over, glancing around with mock interest. She motioned him to him to sit; he obliged.

"Well now aren't you a handsome man; strong chin, good build; the ladies must be after all the time?" Nicodemus frowned; he hadn't expected this. He had expected a strange mystical creature-not this…grandma.

"Do I really look like that old? I always though I looked quite good for my age." Nicodemus gawked at her. "How, how did you do that-how did you know what I was thinking?"

"I could see it on your face. No matter, here have a cookie." She lifted a plate of cookies towards him. Nicodemus stared at her, unmoving. "Go on, have one; they're still warm," she said with her unrelenting smile.

Finally, Nico reached for the plate. "Oh, and don't worry about the plate," the elderly lady said. "Excuse me?" Nico said. Distracted, Nico bumped into the plate, knocking it out of the lady's hands; it fell to the ground and shattered. He looked at mess, and then back up at the lady.

"How did you do that?" Nicodemus looked dumbfounded, and was turning pale. She answered in a matter-of-fact way, "Why do you think they call me the Oracle?" She shook her head, and picked a cigarette of the coffee-table. "You young people,"sucking on the cigarette, "think you know everything. I should know, I _d_o know everything."

Nicodemus leaned back into his chair, trying to decipher what exactly he had just seen. He had a feeling that he was going to learn a lot today.


	6. Chapter Five: Ambush

Nico stared at the fleeting world through the window. Pedestrians crowded the streets, continuing their daily rituals; unaware of their unseen bondage. Nico smiled as he noticed the park he had played in-no, thought he played in as a child. It had all seemed so simple in those days, before the struggle, and anguish the discovery of the matrix had caused him. He often wondered if he had made the right choice all those years ago. What the Oracle had revealed to him only further added more to his eternal conflict. The aging guide had told him one thing: he would find the _One_.

At first he was confused; he heard of the One in Zion, a so-called messiah who had freed the first of Zion from the Matrix. According to the believers the One would return, marking the end of the war and the liberation of the human race. However, he was told that the One was just part of a dying archaic religion. Still, after seeing what the Oracle was capable of it was hard to doubt her. _If the One _is_ real, why am I responsible for his return?_

"Nico."

The sound of his name pulled Nico back in to reality, or at least this version of it. He turned away from the window, nearly bumping into Zebadiahs' face. The behemoth of a man smiled.

"Wha'd she tell you?"

Before Nico could answer Abner shot Zeb a cold look. He shook his head in anger and ran a beefy hand through his dreadlocks. The four passengers continued silently, and then, the world went to hell.

The left side of the car crumpled, throwing Nico across the car. The force lifted the car from the ground, flinging it into a nearby phone booth, crushing the unfortunate soul who inside. A streetlamp stopped the car in it path, throwing Aiden through the windshield. Nico's head slammed into the window. In his swirling vision he saw a man outside, a man in a black suit, and he then he fell into unconsciousness.

Agent Smith closed the door of his black Crown Victoria, used only seconds before as a battering ram. He put his hand to his earpiece, calmly waiting for further instruction. He removed his desert eagle from his holster, the safety already off. Aiden was drifting back into consciousness, groaning from the numerous injuries he had sustained. Smith knelt next to the young man, his fifty-caliber magnum resting against Aiden's temple. He looked into Smiths shaded eyes, a sense of acceptance in his eyes. Smith smiled, he always liked it when they did not struggle.

The pounding resonated through his ears, echoing endlessly in his head. Nico's subconscious struggled to identify the sound. Slowly the sound faded, assimilating itself into the surroundings. Nico opened his eyes, his surroundings coming into focus. His deafening heartbeat assumed its place within his hearing, leaving him staring at the crumpled roof, dumbfounded. His memory returned in a surge, the matrix, oracle; everything returned to him, including the man in the suit.

Nico rolled to his side, half knowing the agent was there. The Tech 9 was in his hands; he pulled the hammer back. The noise reverberated through the empty streets, warning the Agent of the on-coming barrage. The gun jumped in his hands, struggling to escape Nico's grip. The agent turned faster than humanly possible, merely side stepping to evade the first onslaught of bullets. Nicodemus tightened his grip, directing the seemingly unending stream of lead, leading the agent away from Aiden. The agent stepped back into the street his body a blur of movement.

Without warning the bullets stopped; Nico's gasped: he was out of bullets. Smith smiled. The agent straightened his suit, unfazed by Nico's effort. Nico dropped the gun, knowing he would be dead before he could reloaded his weapon. The agent shook his head in disapproval.

"Mr. _Elliot_," said Smith. I am afraid your little adventure ends here. You see, you and your comrades have become quite the annoying pests, and I, well, I am the _insecticide._"


	7. Chapter Six: Heavenly Interference

1Vara's heart pounded as she stared at the seven LCD monitors at her console. To the unknowing person the steady stream of green symbols that appeared on every monitor might not register any emotion, except for confusion. However, Vara could see past the symbols, she saw a different world through her monitors, a different reality.

She was like an unseen god, looking upon a contained universe. She could see all, and change elements of the world with a few strokes at her keyboard. Unfortunately she had no control over the situation unfolding in front of her eyes.

She watched helplessly as Nico dropped his weapon, waiting for the approaching Agent. Vara's fingers dug into her armrest, grinding into the aging foam. She clenched her teeth in frustration, feeling stripped of her power; a god cast down to a mortal earth. Her mind reeled in confusion as she desperately tried to think of what she could do to help.

Before even realizing it she began typing furiously. A smile across her face she stopped, staring at the agent displayed across her screens. "Eat this motherfucker."

Mike Griffin had been driving trucks for thirty two years, seeing everything from hundred car pile-ups to blood covered highways. Despite his experience, Mike was truly unprepared for the next thirty seconds.

Without warning a figure stepped in front of the four ton behemoth. His foot mashing the brake pedal Mike screamed.

Nico held his breath as the agent raised his glistening Desert Eagle. The earthly silence between them was suddenly broken as four-thousand pounds of glistening metal smashed through the wall behind the agent. Even as he began to turn around, the chrome and red Freightliner logo met with his face in a sickening crunch. His body crumpled into the grill in a splash of thick blood. The truck continued into the opposite wall, narrowly missing Nico. The red brick wall enveloped the front end of the colossal vehicle, hiding the mangled body of the former agent.

A blue light momentarily blinded Nico as Smiths artificial consciousness left the pulpy body of a mangled meter-maid. Th air brakes depressed as Vara stepped out of the truck, greeting an astonished Nico with a quick nod.

"Quick lets get them out of here", she said gesturing to the others.

Their comrades around their shoulders Nico and Vara disappeared into the darkness of the fading night.


	8. Chapter Seven: Nightmare

Abner's eyes opened, adjusting to the harsh florescent lighting of the Nemesis sick bay. He slowly moved his head, paying attention to the sharp pain in his neck. On the table next to his own lay Aiden's mangled body, covered in tubes connected to the various plugs on his body. A respirator inflated his lungs in a controlled rhythm. Abner groaned as he rose from the table, grunting as his fractured ribs shifted in his abdomen.

His feet fell to the cold metal grating, sending shivers through Abner's body. As he moved to nest to Aiden's still form he checked the monitoring equipment, his eyes skimming through Aiden's prognosis. He watched as the boys chest rose and fell, making sure he was still breathing.

After a moment at the boys side Abner turned, heading to the thick air-tight door. He closed it heading to the core. One thought occupied his mind as he stepped through the door: why was he still alive? He glanced back at Aiden one last time, before the thick door blocked his view.

The breeze whispered in Nicodemus' ears, warning him about the incoming arrows before he saw them. He unsheathed his katana in a single, swift movement, knocking aside the speeding arrows with the blunt edge of his sword. They fell harmlessly to the swaying grass, disappearing into the billowing green waves.

Galloping horses appeared over the hill, their frenzied riders letting loose a volley of arrows. Nicodemus rolled into the attack, narrowly escaping the projectiles. He drew his smaller wakizasha before the archers could pull back upon their bowstrings. The first archers head disappeared in fountain of blood as the smaller sword cleaved it off at the neck. His companion's face widened as the katana sliced his arms off at the elbows, leaving his hands and his bow behind. Nico continued the momentum of his first attack into the legs of the third horse, cutting its legs from under it, flinging its rider from its back. The rider rolled into his fall, coming to his feet bow and arrow facing Nico.

The two adversaries regarded each other, both unmoving for the moment. A Mexican stand-off in feudal Japan. Nico half expected a tumble weed to roll between them. The archer moved first, dropping his bow and reaching for his dagger. Nico waited until he was a breath away before striking. Before the archer realized it, Nico's palm crushed his windpipe, stopping him in mid-strike. The pain never registered as the hilt of the katana struck his unprotected temple, severing the delicate nerves leading to his brain. He collapsed to his knees, blood dribbling from his nose and ears. As the archer fell he and the entire world around Nicodemus vanished into the white sterile world of the Construct.


End file.
